10 FUNctional digital tools for marketing & PR pros

Tech toys are big business and it seems that the coolest, fastest, smallest, smartest, most multifunctional or just plain “gotta have it” products are particularly popular around the holiday season. But just because something is cool doesn’t mean it can’t also be useful, and some of the best digital tools are those that are equal parts play and productivity (smartphones, anyone?). With this week’s Pulse, we asked ourselves one simple question: What fun and functional gadgets would make great gifts for the busy MarCom or PR professional in your life? We searched the e-shelves and found ten, any of which are bound to please.

Take a look through our “catalogue of cool” and see the tools and gadgets we’ve shortlisted for the 2011 gift-giving season. You can click on the SlideShare presentation above to read detailed descriptions for each, but here’s the list in brief:

Kindle Fire

Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager

Evernote

Kinect for Xbox 360

IdeaPaint

ioSafe Hard Drives + Data Recovery

Garmin Approach SI GPS Watch

Joos Orange Solar Charger

Etymotic hf3 Headset+Earphone

iPad Supreme Ice

The gadgets and digital enablers on our list range greatly in the benefits they can deliver to the end-user. From work surfaces that let you collaborate and share great ideas with your teammates to indestructible data protection devices to those that monitor and maximize your REM sleep, our list is made up of fun – and functional – items that can truly be performance enhancing.

This post is part of The Pulse, an ongoing series in partnership with our good friends at CommPRO.biz. Each week, we feature trending topics, rankings and industry “bests” across a wide spectrum of communication disciplines. We’ll post a new “Pulse” each week through 2011 here at Channel M. Next up: “Top 10 Picks for the Year’s Leading Social Media Influencers.”